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For over 50 years, Philadelphia documentary photographer Harvey Finkle embedded himself with different social justice groups to tell their stories. At age 84, he continued to photograph even as macular degeneration slowly destroyed his vision and made it impossible to focus his camera. At Thanksgiving dinner 2019, he had to tell his family that he must give up his beloved photography.

Abruptly, Harvey was no longer photographing the disabled community- he had become part of it. Now what would he do?  And what would become of his incomparable photographic history of social change?

The film shows Harvey as he photographed the work of many different activist groups, including Holocaust survivors, immigrants, the hungry and homeless, peace activists, and the disability rights movement. His account is interspersed with brief interviews with other photographers, a curator, and social justice advocates.

To weave the story together, the film shows over 80 of Harvey’s dramatic black-and-white photographs from his immense archive. He describes some of his favorite photographs, the stories behind the events being portrayed, and what they say about social conditions.

An important segment of the film shows Harvey’s own family experience with disability. Both of his children were born deaf, and he recounts how he and his wife went on a painful journey to find the right path for them. That story is primarily told by his now-grown children speaking eloquently in American Sign Language with professional audio interpretation.  (The film is completely captioned to make it accessible to d/Deaf audiences.)

The film closes with Harvey, at 91 years old, finding his own path forward to present his lifetime’s work to the public and continuing to show up for social justice events.

Help bring this documentary to the public.  Currently in post-production, the film has completed principal photography.  The rough cut has been critiqued by experienced filmmakers and photojournalists; and has been shown in five sneak previews to assess audience reaction through detailed questionnaires.  The filmmaking team has been applying for foundation grants but is seeking an immediate $50,000 to retain a completion editor, audio engineer, colorist and graphic designer.  Then we’re off to the festivals.

Recent actions by the current administration in Washington have made fundraising for independent projects like ours much more challenging.  We depend even more on your support.  Thank you. 

For further information, contact Ted Lieverman, tlieverman@tmlphotojournal.com